2007

Contenders for the BSB crown

Contenders for the BSB crown

This picture was at the BSB testing at Snetterton on Sunday by myself.  I was there with my son Ryan for the Official BSB test day and managed to find a space on the pit wall whilst all the riders...

Plater crashes at Snetterton

Plater crashes at Snetterton

Steve Plater came a cropper on his AIM Yamaha at the entrance to pit lane during Sunday afternoon’s BSB practice at Snetterton.  Here are some photos of the aftermath.

Chilly Snett test gives little feedback

Chilly Snett test gives little feedback

Despite only 11-degrees of track temperature, several riders ventured out onto the icy wastes of Snetterton circuit for this afternoon’s final BSB practice session. Leon Haslam and Greogrio Lavilla...

Slow start for Snetterton BSB test

Slow start for Snetterton BSB  test

Any hopes the top teams of BSB might have harboured about meaningful testing at Snetterton today were dashed by miserable weather this morning, Friday, March 23, 2007. Heavy mist and low track...

Rob McElnea interview: Part two

Rob McElnea interview: Part two

Part two of our exclusive video interview with Virign Media team boss Rob McElnea looks at the rule changes for the 2007 Virgin Media R6 Cup. If you missed part one, which covered the Virgin British...

Rob McElnea interview: Part one

Rob McElnea interview: Part one

Watch part one of an exclusive interview with Virgin Mobile Yamaha team boss Rob McElnea as the British Superbike and Supersport teams test at Croft, alongside the new riders in the Virgin R6...

Haslam fastest in Albacete

Haslam fastest in Albacete

Leon Haslam continued to set the pace in pre-season testing when he set the benchmark lap time in the three-day Albacete test this weekend on the Airwaves Ducati. Team-mate Gregorio Lavilla was...

Ducati sets Albacete BSB test pace

Ducati sets Albacete BSB test pace

The first day of the major three-day BSB test at Albacete in Spain has seen the honours go to Airwaves Ducati’s Leon Haslam and Gregorio Lavilla. The pair took their works 999s to the top two times,...

New year of R6 Cup stars

New year of R6 Cup stars

It’s no wonder Virgin Media Cup boss Rob McElnea introduced this year’s series to the competitors and press by claiming: “We’ve proved the Cup is the best youth development road racing series...

Hill on the pace at Croft

Hill on the pace at Croft

Tommy Hill lapped Croft yesterday consistently quicker than his best-ever lap on race rubber around the 2.12-mile circuit. Hill was testing the all-new 16-valve Virgin Media Yamaha R1 alongside his...

Smart returns to Hawk

Smart returns to Hawk

Scott Smart will be on a ZX-10R in BSB again after completing his long-rumoured move back to the Hawk Kawasaki team today (Thursday, March 15, 2007). Smart, who rode for the team in 2004 before moving...

Richards takes Superstock ride

Richards takes Superstock ride

Glen Richards took a 300-mile round trip from his home near Hinckley up to Croft to run in the new Yamaha R1 he’s racing in this year’s National Superstock series. This exercise was carried out after...

Camier - elbow down

Camier - elbow down

Leon Camier started the steep learning curve to superbike racing with his first ride on the 2007-spec Honda Racing Fireblade last week in Gaudix. He spent every day methodically working through...

Video: Tommy Hill at the Virgin Yamaha launch

Video: Tommy Hill at the Virgin Yamaha launch

New season. New livery. New bike. The Yamaha R1 to be raced by Tommy hill and James Haydon is the only all-new motorcycle in BSB this year and the team unveiled it along with their new Virgin Media...

Media makeover for Virgin Yamaha

Media makeover for Virgin Yamaha

This is the first look at the new Virgin Media Yamaha which will race in BSB this year with Tommy Hill and James Haydon aboard. The team has continued its association with the iconic Virgin brand for...

Video: Rizla's Cal Crutchlow

Video: Rizla's Cal Crutchlow

We caught up with Rizla Suzuki new boy Cal Crutchlow at the recent BSB pre-season test in Guadix, Spain. Watch the video on the right to see Crutchlow in action on track and see his interview with MCN...

Rea heads BSB in Spain

Rea heads BSB in Spain

Jonathan Rea has taken the first day’s glory – unofficially anyway – in the major three-day BSB test ongoing in Almeria, Spain. No official timings are available from the test, but with every team...

Video: Shakey turns up the heat in Spain

Video: Shakey turns up the heat in Spain

Shane Byrne wasn’t the fastest rider in testing at Almeria or Guadix last week but the Stobart Honda rider gave every indication that he’s going to right in the thick of this year’s BSB title fight...

Murphy to Superstock

Keiran Murphy has made a last minute switch to the National Superstock to race a Goldstar Suzuki GSX-R1000. The 27-year-old from Ipswich had signed to ride a MSS Discovery Kawasaki in British Supersport for a second season but the team streamlined their efforts down to Michael Rutter in BSB and Stuart Easton in BSS when Murphy could not take sufficient backing to help pay for the ride. Murphy...

Hutchinson's CBR shakedown

Ian Hutchinson had his first run-out on the Honda Racing CBR600RR he’ll race in British Supersport this year at Almeria and Guadix. Though there was no other Supersport team at Almeria , Hutchinson 1:17.1 best at Guadix compared favourably to the 1:16.9 that Stuart Easton did on the MSS Discovery Kawasaki a day before Honda arrive. Hutch said: “We tried lots of different chassis set ups and this...

Reynolds back on track

John Reynolds was back on track last week at Guadix, in his Rizal Suzuki leathers too – but he wasn’t riding a BSB bike. Instead he was helping assess three challengers for the two British places in the GSX-R European Cup that’s being run as a supporting event at six of the WSB rounds this year. The contenders included: Leon Camier’s 18 year old brother Alex, plus Scots Alex Gault (16) and Jimmy...

Buildbase Ducati

Buildbase Ducati

Buildbase Ducati completed its first serious test of the year at Cartagena this week with Kieran Clarke and John Laverty getting their first ride on the new Ducati 1098s they will race in the National...

BSB in Spain?

BSB in Spain?

While WSB is already two rounds into the 2007 schedule and MotoGP blasts off this weekend, BSB has to wait until April 1 before the first round at Brands Hatch. But things have been just as hectic as...

Shakey's scooter wind-up

Shakey's scooter wind-up

The niggling war of words between Rizla Suzuki team manager Simon Buckmaster and Stobart Honda team owner Paul Bird just won’t go away. It erupted when Buckmaster said Bird’s Stobart Honda rider...

Wilson's superstock title bid

Wilson's superstock title bid

Ben Wilson has secured a ride on a Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the National Superstock Championship. He will be supported by Windmill Cars in Boston, Lincolnshire and the Crescent Suzuki Performance Centre in...

Rea fastest in Spain

Rea fastest in Spain

Jonathan Rea bounced back from his crash at Guadix on Friday to post the fastest times on Saturday (March 3, 2007) and Sunday (March 4, 2007) of the BSB test aboard the HM Plant Honda. He was the...

Walker heads BSB field

Walker heads BSB field

Chris Walker got up to speed with a bang today at the major BSB three- day test in uadix, Spain, leading the field on the first day. The Rizla Suzuki star, back ‘home’ in BSB after years on the world...

Rea crashes out

Rea crashes out

Jonathan Rea is sitting out the afternoon on the first day of the BSB three-day test at Guadix today, after a nasty crash this morning saw him bash the injured left knee which is only just coming back...

Supersport: MSS focus on Easton

Supersport: MSS focus on Easton

The MSS Discovery Kawasaki team have cut their British Supersport team in half after they split with Kieran Murphy today. The team were due to run Murphy alongside Stuart Easton on ZX-6Rs in...

Kawasaki wrap up test

Kawasaki wrap up test

Michael Rutter and Stuart Easton have completed their first full test of their 2007 bikes, at the Guadix track in Spain. Rutter’s three days on the ZX-10R he will race this year were hampered by...

Rea ends test on top

Rea ends test on top

For the third day running, Jonathan Rea has set the best time at the multi-team BSB test taking place at Almeria in Spain. The 20-year-old set the pace throughout the dry weather test which has just...

Rea continues reign

Rea continues reign

Jonathan Rea continues to lead the BSB stars testing out in Spain, with the new HM Plant signing again going fastest at Almeria on day two of the three-day test there. His performance is all the more...

Leon in medical centre

Leon in medical centre

Leon Haslam was taken to the Almeria medical centre after a 90mph highside at the Spanish track just minutes ago – but has thankfully escaped with just a bruised left leg. The Airwaves Ducati man...

Smart back to Hawk?

Smart back to Hawk?

Scott Smart could be on his way back to Hawk Kawasaki, if the team can secure the backing to run a second rider alongside Peter Hickman.  Smart, speaking from the WSB paddock in Doha where he’s...

Smart back to Hawk?

Smart back to Hawk?

Scott Smart could be on his way back to Hawk Kawasaki, if the team can secure the backing to run a second rider alongside Peter Hickman. Smart, speaking from the WSB paddock in Doha where he’s...

Martin for BSB

Martin for BSB

Roads hero Guy Martin could be racing a Hydrex Honda in BSB this year.  The Ulster GP winner and outright lap record holder was down to race in British Supersport this year but Hydrex team boss Shaun...